AudioQuest releases sixth iteration of its DragonFly USB-connected DAC/headphone amplifier
AudioQuest has just released the sixth iteration of its popular DragonFly USB-connected DAC/headphone amplifier. Tom Fine has all the details.
Tom Fine
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SVS Ultra Evolution Bookshelf loudspeaker & SB-3000 R|Evolution subwoofer
Those of us who like to listen to music at room-filling scale may worry when we sit between a pair of standmount speakers. Sure, many of us have heard remarkably large and expansive sound from relatively smallish boxes . . . But it's always a crapshoot. Will that little two-way speaker excite my blood to musical ecstasy or boil it in frustration?
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Flesh on the Bones: Dynaudio Details US Exit
As we reported on July 7, 2026, Denmark-based Dynaudio will exit the US pro and consumer audio markets by year-end. Via email, Tom Fine spoke with Julien Bergere, Dynaudio's Chief Commercial Officer, to provide further context and additional details about how warranties will continue to be honored.
Technics SL-1200GME/SL-1210GME turntable
Like life, audiophilia often takes unexpected turns. A while back, I happily put my turntable and records on ice, for much of the 1990s and the first part of the current century. Yet lately I find myself further down the phonography rabbit hole than I have been in decades.
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SPL Performer s900 power amplifier
In building my listening systems over the years, my primary goal has been to hear as much of the source recordings, and as little of the system itself, as possible. Every piece of every system imposes its own sound to some degree onto what comes out of the speakers. I don't only mean obvious, measurable things like distortion, noisefloor, S/N ratio, and so on.
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ReDiscoveries #14: Real-Life Influencers, Rock'n'Roll Style
Here's what real influencers do: If you're Carl Perkins, every song on your first LP was covered by Beatles. If you're Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones named their band after one of your songs.. If you're Chuck Berry, you influenced anyone who has ever considered themselves rock'n'rollers. And if you're Johnny Cash, you were the original Outlaw Country artist, and you invented the country-rock nexus.
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Bill Voss, Technics's man in the US, retires
Bill Voss of Technics retired in June 2026 after 44 years with parent company Panasonic, the past decade as US Business Development Manager during Technics' successful relaunch as a hi-fi major player.
Revinylization #75: Heart's Dreamboat Annie Gets a Sonic Facelift
Hard rock in the 1970s was mostly a game for dudes. Although Janis Joplin and Grace Slick had broken through in the 1960s with major rock hits, Coven lead singer Jinx Dawson had gained some notoriety, and Fanny (one of the first all-female rock bands) had some success, the rock charts were male dominated. Enter the Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy.
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Ø Audio Verdande loudspeaker
Full-range speakers are usually at least three-way rather than two-way, for good reasons. Although a three-way crossover network is harder to do right, and there can be phase-coherence issues if the drivers aren't well-matched and well-integrated, a two-way speaker with a woofer big enough to generate room-filling lows is even more difficult.
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BMG and Concord to merge
Tom Fine reports on the impending merger between BMG Rights Management GmbH, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann Group, and Concord Music Group.